Amid the noise, three scholars stood up.
"I am Han Changli, your student, nice to meet you all."
"I am Liu Hedong, your student, nice to meet you all."
"I am Liu Mengde, your student, nice to meet you all."
Han Changli stood slightly forward and said loudly, "Three students have figured out the answer."
Liu Hedong continued, "We all agree that it is far away from us at sunrise and close to us at noon."
"Why?" the scholars asked in unison.
"As the little boy in the classics said, at sunrise the sun is as big as a wheel, and at noon the sun is as small as a disk."
"Combined with our daily lives, it's obvious that things only get bigger when they're close, and smaller when they're far away, perhaps even so far away that they can't be seen, right?"
"We've pondered this conclusion over and over, but we can't figure it out. It's absolutely flawless!"
"Could it be that the three of you are planning to overturn this undeniable fact in broad daylight?"
Hearing this question, Han Changli smiled slightly and said, "Everyone, which is farther, the sun or Bingzhou?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a scholar replied, "Of course the sun is far away."
"I've only heard of people coming from Bingzhou, but I've never heard of people coming from the sun."
"Students have traveled around the Great Zhou. No matter where they are, the sun remains in the same position."
"So, the sun is far away, but Bingzhou is near!"
No one objected to the scholar's answer, which was unanimously agreed upon by everyone present.
Seeing this, Han Changli said in a resounding voice: "But I must say that the sun is near, and Bingzhou is far away!"
"Why?"
Everyone was shocked. How could they come to such an incredible conclusion?
"Brothers, if you don't know, just admit it. Why are you spouting nonsense?"
"Are you trying to use some sophistry trick to say a white horse is not a horse?"
"You'd better give me some truth. Otherwise, I, a scholar, won't accept you. Don't let this child look down on you!"
“…”
Everyone was talking about it, and their words were full of sarcasm and aggression.
Han Changli didn't care about these offensive words and still kept smiling.
When everyone's voices died down, he said in a clear voice, "It's a very simple truth."
"Now we can see the sun when we look up, but we can't see where Bingzhou is."
"If we follow the principle that things that are close appear larger and things that are far away appear smaller, doesn't that mean that the sun is closer to us and Bingzhou is farther away?"
"If that's the case, doesn't it prove that the so-called distance and size theory is completely nonsense and cannot be trusted?"
"The great poet Du Zimei once said, 'I will climb to the top of the mountain and look down on all the other mountains.'"
“When you stand on the top of a mountain, all other mountains seem small.”
"But among these small mountains, there are always some that appear big and some that appear small."
"Which is closer, this seemingly large mountain or this seemingly small mountain? Can you all agree on this?"
Everyone fell into deep thought.
Finally came to a conclusion -
The theory of size cannot fully prove the relationship between distance. On the contrary, it will produce different results due to our own position and angle!
Han Changli looked at everyone's expressions and understood their answer. "It seems that you all already have the answer."
"Once we have refuted the theories of size and distance, wouldn't the only remaining theory left to prove the sun's distance be hot or cold?"
Everyone frowned and did not answer directly.
They still have some doubts in their hearts.
After all, this statement sounds a bit far-fetched and should be refuted.
They all started racking their brains, trying to find flaws and completely refute these three arrogant young men.
Unexpectedly, Liu Mengde did not give them a chance to breathe, and continued to pursue them relentlessly:
"Everyone, we have another way to prove that the theory of distance is wrong!"
"You guys tell me what's going on." Everyone said in a deep voice.
Liu Mengde was confident, showed a smug smile, and asked:
"Everyone, the laws of nature are constant, and the four seasons rotate, hence the divisions of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Do you have any objections?"
Everyone shook their heads and said, "These are the words of a sage, how can they be wrong?"
Liu Mengde asked again: "So among these four seasons, which season is the hottest and which season is the coldest?"
“Naturally, summer is the hottest and winter is the coldest!”
Before the scholars could answer, the crowd of onlookers started shouting.
"That's right, that's right." The onlookers echoed.
"Very good." Liu Mengde's eyes swept over everyone one by one, and he slowly asked: "Since summer is the hottest and winter is the coldest, then I dare to ask-"
"Is there any difference in the size of the sun between summer and winter, and between sunrise and midday?"
"There is no difference. They are all about the same size. There is no difference." A farmer said in a simple voice.
Liu Mengde said calmly: "Yes, there is exactly no difference!"
"If we follow the theory of distance, then wouldn't the sun be just as close to us?"
"Then why are the summers so hot and the winters so cold?"
"Doesn't this just prove that the idea of size, distance, and proximity is absurd?"
hiss--
Everyone took a deep breath and said nothing.
Liu Hedong cleared his throat and said loudly, "Thus, the scorching sun is like fire; it's hot when you're close, and cold when you're far away!"
"From this perspective, it seems that it is closer to us at sunrise and farther away at noon."
The words fell.
Everyone was silent for a long time, obviously convinced by the three men's combined punches.
The scholars were silent for a long time, then they all bowed and said, "Listening to your words is worth ten years of reading. I am grateful for your teaching!"
When the three of them heard this, they were even more pleased.
"Three scholars, who are your teachers that you can come up with such a well-reasoned and well-founded inference?"
A farmer shouted loudly among the crowd.
Han Changli and the other two exchanged glances and said in unison, "I will study under Zhao Ritian!"
What?
Zhao Ritian?
“Hahahahaha——”
I don't know who started laughing first.
Then one by one the scholars also burst into laughter.
Then, the onlookers also laughed.
The laughter gradually became one, shaking the earth like thunder, deafening everyone. In the huge city of Jingzhou, everyone knew about it!
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